"Alanui" - AKC's 2017 Street Rod Ride/Mod/Muse Thread
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Cruiser
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From: The... Village
"Alanui" - AKC's 2017 Street Rod ~ Ride/Mod/Muse Thread
I'll go ahead and start a thread for my XG750A Street Rod, "Alanui"
Got her with all of 7 miles to start with. Looked at a few other bikes before settling on a Street Rod. Besides, it reminded me of something else I have sitting in the garage;
A 2005 "V" bike. Foolishly purchased immediately after my wife passed away, it's been languishing with some work sporadically occurring on it. But that's another story...
I wanted something to ride NOW, and the Street Rod fits the bill. I'm going to enjoy it, do a few things to it, and try my best to document what I do.
Oh, and "Alanui"? That's "Street" in Hawaiian. Plate's on the way from the DMV.
Ride along...
Got her with all of 7 miles to start with. Looked at a few other bikes before settling on a Street Rod. Besides, it reminded me of something else I have sitting in the garage;
A 2005 "V" bike. Foolishly purchased immediately after my wife passed away, it's been languishing with some work sporadically occurring on it. But that's another story...
I wanted something to ride NOW, and the Street Rod fits the bill. I'm going to enjoy it, do a few things to it, and try my best to document what I do.
Oh, and "Alanui"? That's "Street" in Hawaiian. Plate's on the way from the DMV.
Ride along...
Last edited by AKC; Apr 19, 2017 at 11:50 AM.
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Cruiser
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From: The... Village
Let's get a few of the prerequisite photos out of the way...
All ready to go, 7 miles on the clock;
I paid cash for Alanui, and got the dealer to throw in a Daymaker for free...
They did, however, get a little happy bolting down the license plate frame;
I'm going to replace it with this;
Huge fan of Joker Machine, I have some of their bar end mirrors on the way also.
I get it, bikes handle/ride differently and don't take a can opener to the shocks. The "lawyer" stickers on the air cleaner and shock reservoirs had to go;
They only had the front axle nut covers in stock, the rears and some other stuff should arrive tomorrow. Heavy little suckers, ain't they?
129 miles on the clock, no problems so far. I think. I have noticed that when the running lights are on, only the fronts illuminate. The rears are working as turn signals, but not as running lights, not sure if this is normal. I know front running lights are for visibility, I would think one would want the rears on too. I'll ask tomorrow when I pick up the other goodies.
Is it 1000 miles yet?
All ready to go, 7 miles on the clock;
I paid cash for Alanui, and got the dealer to throw in a Daymaker for free...
They did, however, get a little happy bolting down the license plate frame;
I'm going to replace it with this;
Huge fan of Joker Machine, I have some of their bar end mirrors on the way also.
I get it, bikes handle/ride differently and don't take a can opener to the shocks. The "lawyer" stickers on the air cleaner and shock reservoirs had to go;
They only had the front axle nut covers in stock, the rears and some other stuff should arrive tomorrow. Heavy little suckers, ain't they?
129 miles on the clock, no problems so far. I think. I have noticed that when the running lights are on, only the fronts illuminate. The rears are working as turn signals, but not as running lights, not sure if this is normal. I know front running lights are for visibility, I would think one would want the rears on too. I'll ask tomorrow when I pick up the other goodies.
Is it 1000 miles yet?
Last edited by AKC; Apr 17, 2017 at 02:41 PM.
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
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From: Illinois
Just got mine to 300 miles today. Same color as yours. When I filled the tank it was 54.9 mpg. That was at 60 mph on local roads and strong winds and some stops in small towns.
It is a great handling, tracking and braking bike. I had traded a 15 Street 750 that I put 5,200 miles on. The Street 750 had a better fit for me with the big boy seat but it does not fit the Street Rod. I'm 6'3" so it is a little cramped for me. The seat is comfortable it's just that I'm folded up a little.
I have not done any launches of high speed yet so it seems like the standard 750 engine at this point.
I do like that with the larger diameter wheels it runs out a little longer before needing to upshift.
I haven't looked up the specs yet but the Street Rod has a healthy lean angle.
It is a great handling, tracking and braking bike. I had traded a 15 Street 750 that I put 5,200 miles on. The Street 750 had a better fit for me with the big boy seat but it does not fit the Street Rod. I'm 6'3" so it is a little cramped for me. The seat is comfortable it's just that I'm folded up a little.
I have not done any launches of high speed yet so it seems like the standard 750 engine at this point.
I do like that with the larger diameter wheels it runs out a little longer before needing to upshift.
I haven't looked up the specs yet but the Street Rod has a healthy lean angle.
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2017
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From: The... Village
Checked the fit of the plate frame. This one has blind holes and uses studs on the back. Looks good and simple.
I gotz stuffses...
Buckshot shields, coolant hose cover, swingarm/rear axle nut covers, Diamond Black footpegs and Diamond Black grips.
I'll let the pictures talk...
I need to hold off on the grips until the bar end mirrors show up tomorrow so I can be sure they're going to work together. I only want to glue the left grip on once.
The nut covers are pretty subtle, as is the coolant line cover. I had already installed the Diamond Black shift peg earlier. (it was in-stock at the dealer)
Once the grips and mirrors are in place and the left grip sets, I can start racking up some more miles...
I gotz stuffses...
Buckshot shields, coolant hose cover, swingarm/rear axle nut covers, Diamond Black footpegs and Diamond Black grips.
I'll let the pictures talk...
I need to hold off on the grips until the bar end mirrors show up tomorrow so I can be sure they're going to work together. I only want to glue the left grip on once.
The nut covers are pretty subtle, as is the coolant line cover. I had already installed the Diamond Black shift peg earlier. (it was in-stock at the dealer)
Once the grips and mirrors are in place and the left grip sets, I can start racking up some more miles...
Last edited by AKC; Apr 14, 2017 at 11:31 PM.
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 894
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From: Jacksonville FL
Bike looks very nice, I like orange rear springs!
Rear turn signals can have 2-wire bulbs and 3-wire ones. 3 wire bulbs have turn signal and marker light mode.
Awhile ago just for fun I drew a wiring diagram allowing 2-wire turn signals be used as marker lights also.
find out if your rear signals "turn" only. I can post a diagram how to modify them. It will cost probably $5 in parts.
Rear turn signals can have 2-wire bulbs and 3-wire ones. 3 wire bulbs have turn signal and marker light mode.
Awhile ago just for fun I drew a wiring diagram allowing 2-wire turn signals be used as marker lights also.
find out if your rear signals "turn" only. I can post a diagram how to modify them. It will cost probably $5 in parts.
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Cruiser
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From: The... Village
Thanks for the info. I'll look into it...
The bar end mirrors and spuds arrived today, got down to business.
First, get the Diamond Black grips installed;
The throttle side is a piece of cake - slide your cable adjuster boots back, loosen the cable adjusters, take the 2 screws out of the housing, remove the cable lugs from the grip, reverse install the new grip. It took longer to re-tweak the cable adjustments than putting the grip on.
The left side? A bit more challenging. The grip has to be glued, they give you a sheet of adhesive with the kit. Clean the bar, wrap the adhesive around it, spray it with a 70/30 alcohol/water mix, slip the grip on, line it up with the housing and the housing with the locating pin hole on the bar. All in about 1 minute. OK.
They aren't kidding, you've got about 60 seconds tops before the adhesive starts to set up, and you've got to get that puppy shoved on there but quick. If you've got someone to help hold the bike, that would be great. I didn't. Ended up putting one foot on the jiffy stand and shoving with darn near full body weight. You can actually feel the adhesive setting up. Line up the grip/housing and get the locating pin in place, screw it back down. Whew!
I don't think that grip is coming off, ever.
Wait a minimum of 4 hours before riding, no problem. It's sitting overnight.
Now, to the mirrors;
The mounting spuds are aluminum, and a tight fit to the I.D. of the bar.
The throttle side - it is possible to tap the spud in too far, binding the throttle (big problem) and getting it back out would probably be a booger, so proceed slowly. I put a little RemOil on the spud and started it in the bar. Slipped the mirror on and checked the gap.
Tap, gap check, tap, gap check, tap, gap check. I left about 1/32" or so between the mirror and the grip, making sure the grip moved freely. Tightened the wedge bolt snugly and checked for operation. Good to go.
The left side - another small challenge. the spud will stop just shy of being in as far as it needs to go and not leave a gap. (and trust me, you'll be whacking on it pretty good to get it that far)
2 solutions - chuck the spud up in a lathe and take a little of the shoulder off to eliminate the gap, or find a suitable spacer to take up the gap. Not having a lathe, I utilized the latter solution. It came out well.
The mirrors are not at their final adjustment, I'll have to do that tomorrow when I can take Alanui out into the street and tweak them. Once I get them to where I'm happy, I'll mark with a Sharpie (easily removed with a little alcohol), remove them and dimple the spuds for the set screws and Loctite them.
Now bear in mind a couple things;
The mirrors are smaller and not convexed. The nice thing about them is they pivot inside the housings about 15ş, so you can get them close and final adjust the mirrors inside the housings. Just make sure they're centered on their pivot before you lock the housing down. And because they're inside housings, it's very unlikely they'll get knocked out of adjustment like the stockers.
The spuds go in tight, and most likely are NOT coming out ever again. Be sure the mirrors are what you want.
The grips WILL fit over the spuds, so if you want to change grips, it shouldn't be a problem.
While being right on the bar ends, because they're smaller, the overall width ends up being decreased.
They're not cheap. (nothing nice ever is...)
AND THEY LOOK GREAT!!! Changes the whole look of the Street Rod.
Again, I'll let the pics do the talking...
The gap;
My solution; 1 isn't quite enough, 2 is almost too much but you can still pick up the groove in the spud. Perfect slip fit over the spud and better than an O-ring, which was my second choice, but would have to be replaced every so often.
This is the spud I used;
It's at the upper range of the I.D. of the bar, and nearly does not need to have the wedge bolt tightened to stay put. But it WILL absolutely be centered in the bar.
Joker makes another spud, very similar to the one on the existing mirrors, but the top of it's expansion range is near the I.D. of the bar, and I wasn't sure about centering. That's why I used the other one.
That's about all for now. The Tracker bar showed up too, and I think it would look cool, but after looking at what all would be involved in changing bars out, I decided to shelve it for now.
I do have a Stone Free grille on the way...
The bar end mirrors and spuds arrived today, got down to business.
First, get the Diamond Black grips installed;
The throttle side is a piece of cake - slide your cable adjuster boots back, loosen the cable adjusters, take the 2 screws out of the housing, remove the cable lugs from the grip, reverse install the new grip. It took longer to re-tweak the cable adjustments than putting the grip on.
The left side? A bit more challenging. The grip has to be glued, they give you a sheet of adhesive with the kit. Clean the bar, wrap the adhesive around it, spray it with a 70/30 alcohol/water mix, slip the grip on, line it up with the housing and the housing with the locating pin hole on the bar. All in about 1 minute. OK.
They aren't kidding, you've got about 60 seconds tops before the adhesive starts to set up, and you've got to get that puppy shoved on there but quick. If you've got someone to help hold the bike, that would be great. I didn't. Ended up putting one foot on the jiffy stand and shoving with darn near full body weight. You can actually feel the adhesive setting up. Line up the grip/housing and get the locating pin in place, screw it back down. Whew!
I don't think that grip is coming off, ever.
Wait a minimum of 4 hours before riding, no problem. It's sitting overnight.
Now, to the mirrors;
The mounting spuds are aluminum, and a tight fit to the I.D. of the bar.
The throttle side - it is possible to tap the spud in too far, binding the throttle (big problem) and getting it back out would probably be a booger, so proceed slowly. I put a little RemOil on the spud and started it in the bar. Slipped the mirror on and checked the gap.
Tap, gap check, tap, gap check, tap, gap check. I left about 1/32" or so between the mirror and the grip, making sure the grip moved freely. Tightened the wedge bolt snugly and checked for operation. Good to go.
The left side - another small challenge. the spud will stop just shy of being in as far as it needs to go and not leave a gap. (and trust me, you'll be whacking on it pretty good to get it that far)
2 solutions - chuck the spud up in a lathe and take a little of the shoulder off to eliminate the gap, or find a suitable spacer to take up the gap. Not having a lathe, I utilized the latter solution. It came out well.
The mirrors are not at their final adjustment, I'll have to do that tomorrow when I can take Alanui out into the street and tweak them. Once I get them to where I'm happy, I'll mark with a Sharpie (easily removed with a little alcohol), remove them and dimple the spuds for the set screws and Loctite them.
Now bear in mind a couple things;
The mirrors are smaller and not convexed. The nice thing about them is they pivot inside the housings about 15ş, so you can get them close and final adjust the mirrors inside the housings. Just make sure they're centered on their pivot before you lock the housing down. And because they're inside housings, it's very unlikely they'll get knocked out of adjustment like the stockers.
The spuds go in tight, and most likely are NOT coming out ever again. Be sure the mirrors are what you want.
The grips WILL fit over the spuds, so if you want to change grips, it shouldn't be a problem.
While being right on the bar ends, because they're smaller, the overall width ends up being decreased.
They're not cheap. (nothing nice ever is...)
AND THEY LOOK GREAT!!! Changes the whole look of the Street Rod.
Again, I'll let the pics do the talking...
The gap;
My solution; 1 isn't quite enough, 2 is almost too much but you can still pick up the groove in the spud. Perfect slip fit over the spud and better than an O-ring, which was my second choice, but would have to be replaced every so often.
This is the spud I used;
It's at the upper range of the I.D. of the bar, and nearly does not need to have the wedge bolt tightened to stay put. But it WILL absolutely be centered in the bar.
Joker makes another spud, very similar to the one on the existing mirrors, but the top of it's expansion range is near the I.D. of the bar, and I wasn't sure about centering. That's why I used the other one.
That's about all for now. The Tracker bar showed up too, and I think it would look cool, but after looking at what all would be involved in changing bars out, I decided to shelve it for now.
I do have a Stone Free grille on the way...
Last edited by AKC; Apr 14, 2017 at 11:26 PM.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
AKC: I just came up with a functional mod for mine after I was caught in the rain coming home the other day.
Those slots in the rear fender allowed all the sand, muck and debris to come up through onto the tail light and run down the license plate.
I made a plastic cover that I installed underneath. I was going to paint it orange to match the shock springs but didn't have any so I went with red.
No pics but I think it is a quick and worthwhile mod.
Those slots in the rear fender allowed all the sand, muck and debris to come up through onto the tail light and run down the license plate.
I made a plastic cover that I installed underneath. I was going to paint it orange to match the shock springs but didn't have any so I went with red.
No pics but I think it is a quick and worthwhile mod.
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 112
Likes: 20
From: The... Village
I was kinda thinkin' of something along those lines myself. I had thought of looking for some body plugs that might fit. Let me know how your mod works for you.
Frankly, I can guarantee somebody is working on a tail elimination kit already...
Ride report with the new mirrors - Turns out I had them dialed in pretty close to begin with. A minor adjustment (down) with the housings and final tighten the setscrews with Loctite. They are smaller, but you can see well with them. ZERO (0) vibration in the mirrors. I was only able to make a small trip to the bank and Ventura HD real quick, then home because I needed to take the car out to my buddy's shop in Ventura to pick something up that couldn't be carried on Alanui.
149 miles on the clock...
Frankly, I can guarantee somebody is working on a tail elimination kit already...
Ride report with the new mirrors - Turns out I had them dialed in pretty close to begin with. A minor adjustment (down) with the housings and final tighten the setscrews with Loctite. They are smaller, but you can see well with them. ZERO (0) vibration in the mirrors. I was only able to make a small trip to the bank and Ventura HD real quick, then home because I needed to take the car out to my buddy's shop in Ventura to pick something up that couldn't be carried on Alanui.
149 miles on the clock...
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 112
Likes: 20
From: The... Village
Beautiful day for a ride in SoCal...
Headed down to Neptune's Net, it was fairly busy, lots of bikes.
Tried to talk a buddy into meeting up for a cruise, but he was in the middle of moving. Too bad, it would've made a nice diversion for him.
Back up the coast, ran up Potrero Road to the top (pretty twisty in a few places), turned around and came back down. If it wasn't for the "little-po-ta-to-little-po-ta-to" sound coming from the bike, it would be hard to believe it's a HD. It really handles that well. But it does need a throatier growl, I think a K&N element and a slightly more open muffler is in order.
Speed Merchant is out of stock on their slip-on, and I'm not sure about the Vance & Hines.
205 miles on the clock...
Headed down to Neptune's Net, it was fairly busy, lots of bikes.
Tried to talk a buddy into meeting up for a cruise, but he was in the middle of moving. Too bad, it would've made a nice diversion for him.
Back up the coast, ran up Potrero Road to the top (pretty twisty in a few places), turned around and came back down. If it wasn't for the "little-po-ta-to-little-po-ta-to" sound coming from the bike, it would be hard to believe it's a HD. It really handles that well. But it does need a throatier growl, I think a K&N element and a slightly more open muffler is in order.
Speed Merchant is out of stock on their slip-on, and I'm not sure about the Vance & Hines.
205 miles on the clock...
Last edited by AKC; Apr 17, 2017 at 01:16 AM.